Review: THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE, Union Theatre, June 4 2016

If theatre is indeed "writing in air', the Union Theatre, in its last presentation before moving across the road to plush new premises, continues its distinguished history of reviving great plays and musicals, so letting us see that writing again. It bids farewell to its old haunt with Jim Cartwright's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (continuing until 26 June), 24 years on from the show's National Theatre debut, but as fresh (short of landline phone or two) as ever - it's a great choice as a curtain call and the perfect way to bow out.

We're Up North where Mari is getting on in years but not getting on with men, her voracious appetites for sex and booze completely dominating the life of her quiet daughter, LV, pushed into near silence until she sings along to her dead father's 50s and 60s LPs in her bedroom. But when Mari's new beau, Ray, hears LV's Judy Garland inspired voice, he sees her star quality and his meal ticket and he's soon working on it, manipulating daughter and mother to get what he wants. It's all long before the X Factor, when the route to success for show singers was not a life-changing Susan Boylesque two minutes with Ant and Dec, but the slog of getting up and doing it in the working men's clubs of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Can LV make that step?

We know that Jim Cartwright will deliver the script and, even those (like me) who had not seen the play before, expect that this Olivier award winning comedy will make us laugh, but this is a work that demands much from its actors - so is the cast up to it? Six actors carry the show and do so magnificently.

Charlotte Gorton is hideous as Mari, lazy, lazily cruel (especially to next-door neighbour Sadie - a lovely understated performance from Mandy Dassa), but oh so vulnerable too. Gorton reached just about my limit to tolerance of on-stage shouting, but didn't cross it, a testament to her control of a role that requires her to teeter on the edge of a nervous breakdown for two hours. She gets fine support from Ken Christiansen as Ray, the would-be showbiz agent, who is no monster as he does respect LV and gives her plenty of tough love - but he never lets his eye stray too far from the main chance. There's a couple of good cameos from James Peake, channelling Peter Kay as nightclub manager Mr Boo, and Glenn Adamson as LV's Blackpool illuminations obsessed, gentle boyfriend-to-be - at least, we hope so.

But all of this would mean nothing if we did not believe completely in LV, the shy girl who sings. Carly Thoms really nails the part, her transformation under the spotlight complete, all the years of frustration and abuse pouring out of her in a mesmerising medley of diva standards. Were she not so utterly credible, well LV might as well stand for Little Veracity - but it doesn't, because the Little Voice did deliver and we did believe in her. I'm sure I was not alone in wanting to tell her that she was going to be okay, and that she really was that good.

There are examples in London right now of how musical theatre's strange alchemy does not always spin gold - but not at the Union, whose swansong to its current home is surely one of its very best.

To post a comment, you must register and login.